NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 155
In the dream world, I saw Nutricha lying on the floor, a victim of the mishap that had just occurred.
Her face, oddly flushed, made me ponder what had happened moments ago.
Was it the peculiar nature of dreams that made me accept the surreal events unfolding before my eyes?
There were certainly many parts that didn’t add up, yet I brushed them aside.
After all, the modern me had never been this close to such a beautiful woman in my lifetime.
Actually, I didn’t think I had any proper friends at all.
In that regard, the dream Nutricha showed me felt like a balm for the wounds I had endured back then.
It managed to ease those pains and struggles by allowing me to vicariously experience them.
Even if I recognized it was fake, the perception shift in my unconscious mind could wash away the scars.
By the way, how did she know about my past?
Could it be she was able to touch my unconscious mind?
It wasn’t something that needed to be done anymore, since it was no longer connected to me.
“Nutricha, thank you.”
“…For what?”
“I don’t know what you were thinking when you showed me this dream, but it lightened my heart.”
If that version of me had someone like Chiyo to share my life with, would things have been a bit better?
Would I have been able to do something more productive, gathering the courage to face new challenges?
To be honest, saying that was pointless.
In order to befriend someone like Chiyo, I would have needed to put in that effort, and back then, I probably didn’t even have the will to try.
Expecting someone too good for me to like me without any effort was unreasonable.
“…It’s not like I did this for you.”
“Eh?”
I heard an answer that was different from what I expected.
What was she talking about?
It didn’t seem like a denial, considering how much it felt like she was soothing my wounds.
Honestly, before I realized it was a dream, I had felt quite flustered myself.
If this wasn’t done for my sake, then what was it?
As I thought it was strange and tried to sit up to return to my original posture, Nutricha wrapped her arm around my neck and pulled me close, bringing her lips to my ear.
Then, in a strangely sensual voice reminiscent of when she had first tied me up, she whispered.
“This was done for you, you fool.”
Startled, I jumped to my feet, and now Nutricha stood up, shaking off as if relieved.
I stared at her blankly, not comprehending what she had said, and she let out a sigh.
“Can’t you tell? You really are dense.”
No matter how I looked at it, the scene from the dream had felt like I was on a date with Chiyo in the past.
So that meant…
“Wait a second.”
“I’m not waiting for you.”
Nutricha said that and snapped her fingers.
With that, a flash of light suddenly enveloped both her and me.
Before I knew it, I was waking up in bed, sweating profusely.
I took a deep breath, wishing the dream I had just experienced had been an illusion.
But it was so vividly ingrained in my mind, and with Nutricha appearing in that dream,
There was no way I could deny that all of it had been caused by her.
That meant Nutricha was just like the other divine beings…
Heh.
I really messed up this time.
#
Thankfully, due to the continuous series of bewildering events, I managed to brush off except Nutricha’s words.
That said, it was still irritating, my head felt like it was pounding.
Nevertheless, I had to shake myself and take the necessary actions, so I slapped my cheeks with both hands to refocus.
Given everything piled up so far, the time had truly come to face it.
I stepped out of the branch and turned into a narrow alley, approaching the building I had previously headed to in order to uncover Oko’s presence.
Inside, everything felt familiar because they were all experiences I had endured before.
With that in mind, I opened the door and stepped inside.
Still, there wasn’t anyone around.
Inside, I saw my grandfather quietly maintaining his post.
I remembered having always thought of him as a charlatan, but now it seemed like the most sacred sight.
Had he heard my footsteps?
He momentarily paused his prayers, got up, and welcomed me.
“Sir Tanton, you’re here again. Is there something you need this time?”
“No, I actually came to thank you for the information you provided last time.”
“Ha ha, this old man merely shared what I could.”
Looking back, that was truly a humble stance.
I could only imagine how hard he had worked to spread the word about Oko all by himself.
He must have been full of hope that people would step away from distorted viewpoints and work towards reconciling with the divine race, restoring peace once more.
With admiration, I smiled at my grandfather.
“Thanks to you, I was able to learn everything about Oko.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief…?”
He looked up at me, surprised by my choice of words.
Then, as if finally processing what I had just said, a look of satisfaction spread across his face.
“…It seems you’ve regained your memory, my grandson.”
“I apologize for not recognizing my own grandfather and for being unfilial.”
At my words, my grandfather merely smiled and gave my shoulder a gentle pat.
“No, no. What matters is that you returned safely…”
He tried hard to smile, but the tears in his eyes revealed the turmoil he must have gone through.
I could only hold his hand in response.
#
“When the Watcher concealed his traces and faded from everyone’s memory, he left me with enough of my own memories to help you. It was delightful to meet you again after thinking you were dead while I tried to spread the word in Rondan.”
Grandfather started explaining the events that had passed.
Only then did everything begin to click.
It was how I had resisted the song of the Giant of the Snow Mountain.
Of course, Oko must have had it all planned out.
“Grandfather, Oko is still alive.”
“Yes, I know that. Otherwise, your hair color wouldn’t have changed like that.”
Grandfather responded to my words and then turned serious, starting an important conversation.
“Leydan, listen carefully. You must not create enemies from now on. You need to address the grievances directed at you and ensure they can hear your voice. Do you understand?”
“…Grievances toward me?”
“Even the trivial ones cannot be neglected. They will become major obstacles when it comes time to confront the Giant of the Snow Mountain. There’s still plenty of time left. You must observe your surroundings and work towards harmony. That is the last revelation the Watcher left with me.”
Grievances directed at me.
At present, it didn’t seem like anyone disliked me in my immediate circle.
All the knights were effectively on my side, and the residents of Rondan had started to understand me after witnessing my resolve.
Hunters and divine beings too.
But still, there was an uneasy sensation, which must be why Yoko had said those words and disappeared.
“My grandson, I believe you can overcome this challenge. You have come this far, and now only good things lie ahead.”
“Grandfather.”
Looking at him, I smiled.
“Can I eat a piece of bread before I leave?”
“…Of course. Just wait a moment.”
Grandfather smiled kindly and quickly went into the place where the bread was kept.
Finally, I could retrieve the nostalgia of my last forgotten memory.
#
After receiving much bread from grandfather, my belly was stuffed, and I barely began to walk.
While I could tell that he was overly excited to see me regain my memories, this was a bit too much, don’t you think?
He wasn’t my grandmother, why was he trying to stretch me like I was made of rubber?
Anyway, I began to reflect on grandfather’s words.
I needed to address grievances around me.
If I could know the extent of those grievances, that would really help, but if I could have figured that out, the empire wouldn’t be frozen in this state right now.
Hmm.
Even as I tried to think simply, I had no clue from where those grievances could arise, only adding to my confusion.
Okay, let’s think positively.
In other words, since I hadn’t encountered too many grievances so far, isn’t that a good sign?
Usually, if there were no glaring issues, it wouldn’t be a problem to simply move on.
Just when I had decided to regard grandfather’s words as advice and dismiss them lightly, I suddenly heard a chilling voice echoing in my mind.
“…So, are you saying our flower friends, dragon friends, and even our record-keeping friend are all being called by their names?”
“…Hmph. Human, you abandoned me. I was abandoned. Now I’m stuffed in a box to be thrown away.”
There it was, a starkly cold voice accompanied by a voice that seemed defeated, sounding sadder than ever.
Uh.
Um.
I found it.
One grievance I had no idea how to resolve.